Gate-latch



(No Model.) P. J. WINN'.

GATE LATCH.

Patented July 4, 1882.

UNIT D STATES PATENT Trice.

PHILIP J. WIN-N, OF FORK UNION, VIRGINIA.

GATE-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 260,723, dated July 4:, 1882.

Application filed April 28, 1882.

zen of the United States, residing at Fork Union, in the county of Fluvanna and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate-Latches; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

The present invention relates to that class of gate-latches for which Letters Patent No. 245,253 were issued to Inc August 2, 1881, said latches having a pivoted catch-plate on the gate-post, which operates in connection with a rod or bar attached to the gate, so that when the latter is closed said rod or bar will automatically engage with the pivoted catchplate, and after raising the latter pass behind it for locking the gate.

The present invention consists of a simplified construction and arran gementof the parts resembling in certain particulars the latch as shown and described in the said patent, but differing essentially in the construction and operation of the portion of the latch' carried by the gate, all of which will be fully described, and then set forth in the claims.

Figure l of the accompanying drawings is a perspective view of a portion of a gate-post and gate, showing a latch constructed according to my invention, the gate being loeked. Fig. 2 is a perspective view, showing the latch in position to allow the gate to be opened. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the catch device detached from the gate-post. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the locking-bar, having a screw-threaded armfor the attachment of the operating-lever. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of the gate-bar, showing the mortise for the passage of the locking-bar. tion of the catch device in a raised position, the

locking-bar being in the act of passing to the proved construction, and B .is a post against which said gate abuts when closed.

Fig. 6 is a side eleva- (No model.)

The latch for holding the gate in a closed position consists a right-angled plate, 0, the vertical portion of which is screwed to the gatepost. The bottom or horizontal portion of the plate 0 has a slot in which operates the wedge-shaped catch-plateD, hinged at its outer end to the end of the horizontal portion of the plate G. The lower edge of the catch-plate is inclined, as shown, and the upper edge is provided with the horizontal cap-plate E, which covers' over the slot in the plate 0 and prevents the catch-plate from dropping through, all of which is the same as described in my said patent.

The portion of the latch carried by the gate consists of the operating lever-arm H and the locking-bar F, which are rigidly fastened to each other in such a manner that the lockingbar can be attached to either side of the lever to adapt it for use on either side of a gate, as circumstances or the construction of the gate or position of the braces may require, or at eitherend of the gate. Thelocking-bar passes through a mortise in the center of the gate-bar at a proper distance below the top, and the lever-arm H passes up by'the side of the rails A, and an offset is-therefore necessary at the junction of the lever and locking-bar in order to make the device conveniently operative, and it is also necessary that the locking-bar be removably attached to the lever, so that the former can be placed on either side of the lever. If it were not for this latter purpose, the lever H and barF could be made of one piece. The locking-bar F has a short arm, Gr, of a square cross-section, and with a screw-threaded end, f, to receive the arm g. The end of the lever B has a square hole,which receives the square arm G, the hole being placed so that the'angles made by the lever-arm and locking-bar will be about one hundred and thirty-live degrees. noticed, makes the locking-bar attachable to either side of the lever, and also furnishes the crumed on a belt or pin, 71, passing through the'second rail from the top of the gate, and

This manner of attachment, it will be ICO two or more holes in the lever-arm may be pro vided to allow for fitting the latch to different gates.

.A keeper, U, guides the lever-arm and limits its movement. The weight of the lever-arm is suflicient to keep it down and the locking-bar raised. The mortise in the gate-bar is of a wedge shape to allow room for the play of the locking-bar, the movement of the latter being in an arc of a circle about the pivot-bolt h.

The operation of the gate-latch is as follows, viz: When the gate is being shut the lockingbar F strikes against the wedge-shaped plate D and raises it until the bar F passes behind the plate, when the latter drops in front of the bar and holds the gate shut. In order to release the latch, the upper end of the lever-arm is raised or swung a few inches toward the post, when the lower or horizontal end of said lever, which is the locking-bar F, will be low enough to clear the bottom of the plate D, and the gate will then open.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The pivoted latch-lever consisting of the lower horizontal bar, F, and the long obliquelyextending arm H, rigidly connected with the end of said bar, in combination with the gatepost carrying the slotted right-angular plate G, and the wedge-shaped catch D, having the top flange, E, and the gate provided with an aperture for the passage of the latch-bar ad apted to permit the downward movement of the latter, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The latching-lever herein described, consisting of the lever-arm H, having a square hole in one end thereof, and provided with one or more bolt-holes to receive a fulcrum-pin, in combination with the latch-arm F, having the square arm G with screw-threaded end F and the nut g, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP JAMES WINN.

Witnesses:

CORNELIUS P. SNEAD, WILLIAM H. SADLER. 

